Curt Casali nears 1-month anniversary in MLB

The Tampa Bay Rays will recognize Monday as their first off day in nearly two weeks and a critical one at that, given three-game sets with Detroit, Toronto and Baltimore await them, thereafter.

For New Canaan native and back-up Rays catcher Curt Casali, Monday will be much more. It will mark his one-month anniversary as a major leaguer. Since being called up on July 18, Casali has recorded six hits, five runs, four walks and one RBI in 39 plate appearances. He’s also struck out 11 times.

Lately, his numbers have been slightly improved. His best day at the plate came on Sunday, when the right-handed slugger went 2-for-5 with his first career extra-base hit and a run scored against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Two days earlier, he picked up his first RBI at the major league level.

And yet the greatest news for Casali could be there is still no set date for regular Rays catcher Ryan Hanigan to return from his DL stint, meaning it’s entirely possible he could remain in Tampa Bay through August. At that point, all MLB active rosters will expand to 40 players, which would allow the 25-year-old to stay with the Rays for the rest of the year.

Thus far, Casali has thoroughly enjoyed his time in the majors, as he shared in an interview with the Stamford Advocate‘s Scott Ericson one week ago.